CER attorney Dina Townsend in Mail&Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans
14 June 2013 at 10:17 am
The Centre for Environmental Rights is extremely proud to see attorney Dina Townsend recognised as one of the Mail & Guardian‘s 200 Young South Africans for 2013. Dina was one of the first attorneys to join the Centre in 2010, and during her time with us has made an enormous contribution to the Centre’s development, and to the promotion of environmental rights and justice in South Africa.
At the Centre, Dina has represented a range of communities and activists in their battles for more transparent, accountable environmental and water management of mines. She has done important work on the legal aspects of acid mine drainage, and has also been instrumental in the facilitation of a community activist network in the field of mining and environmental justice. Until recently, Dina led the Centre’s work on improving transparency in environmental governance, and was the primary author of the Centre’s Unlock the Doors report in 2012. Dina is not only a superb and thoughtful lawyer with serious academic environmental law credentials but is also a compassionate, tenacious and strategic leader in her field.
Unfortunately for the Centre, Dina is leaving us at the end of June 2013 to start her PhD studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. We will miss her dearly, but wish her the very best, and look forward to a long and productive relationship between her and the Centre.
The Centre is also delighted to see two other NGO attorneys in the environmental rights field recognised by the Mail & Guardian‘s 200 Young South Africans for 2013. Congratulations to Lisa Chamberlain, Deputy Director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, and Naseema Fakir, Acting Regional Director at the Legal Resources Centre. Both Lisa and Naseema have made and continue to make significant contributions to the development of environmental rights and the achievement of environmental justice in South Africa. We salute you both.